Rockford center helps clients make end-of-life plans

Tuesday

Mar 30, 2010 at 12:01 AMMar 30, 2010 at 1:07 PM

ROCKFORD — Living only because of medical life support isn’t living to Jim and Helen Tooley. The Rockford couple would rather have doctors “pull the plug” and end any medical crisis that might incapacitate them in if they can’t be assured of their idea of quality of life without life support. They, along with about 130 others, have made their wishes known through OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center’s 2-year-old Advance Care Planning program.

Mike DeDoncker

ROCKFORD — Living only because of medical life support isn’t living to Jim and Helen Tooley.

The Rockford couple would rather have doctors “pull the plug” and end any medical crisis that might incapacitate them in if they can’t be assured of their idea of quality of life without life support. They, along with about 130 others, have made their wishes known through OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center’s 2-year-old Advance Care Planning program.

“Sometimes, they keep people living so long, just like a vegetable,” Helen Tooley said, “and they won’t — how do you say it — pull the plug. Well, we don’t want to do that. It’s easier for a doctor to do it instead of your husband or wife to say it — let me die, make me die, give up.”

Not everyone chooses the route the Tooleys have, said clinical nurse specialist Gayle Kruse, one of 18 OSF Saint Anthony staffers trained in advance care planning, but the point is they all have made their own choice “for what your wishes are should you become seriously ill and not be able to make your own decisions or speak for yourself.”

Kruse said the free program offers help with completing documents such as advance directives and power of attorney for health care and said some clients also have living wills.

“The state of Illinois has made doing this very simple because of its importance of this,” Kruse said. “It doesn’t require a notary, it doesn’t require a lawyer, it just requires a witness.”

The Tooleys completed their forms in January after Jim, 81, went through health problems in 2009 that included a diagnosis of and radiation treatment for prostate cancer, surgery to stop a bloody nose and chest pains, and Helen, 82, mentioned to her doctor that she was concerned because all of her friends were dying.

“The point of it was not just completing the documents but the conversations that we had before filling out the documents,” Kruse said, “so that he knows what she wants and she knows what he wants. We talked a long time about the contents of the documents, different treatments and what they wanted at the end of life.

“What often happens is there is crisis and none of this has been put on paper. Then the children struggle or the spouse struggles to know what did they want. So the OSF system of seven hospitals started this whole process where some of our physicians’ offices offer this service to some of the people who come to see them.”

The Tooleys were referred to Kruse by Helen’s doctor even though they’re both in good health now. The service is offered at OSF’s Guilford Square Group and at its Roxbury Road and Spring Creek Road offices.

Kruse said the trained specialists sometimes contact people who are already in the hospital and the service also is offered by OSF’s home health and hospice agency. Kruse said OSF hopes to eventually open the service to the public.

“We are beginning to work with more younger people in their 50s and who are in very good health,” she said. “We tell them that your decisions may change as you age or you develop chronic illness and these can always be redone. They’re not forever.”

Kruse has a copy of the Tooleys documents for her records as do both of their doctors and their son. Jim has another copy in his safe deposit box, and Kruse said the documents will also be on OSF electronic medical records.

“There’s a value,” Kruse said, “in how it articulates with their physicians and it really helps the physicians guide their care if they wind up in intensive care.”

Programs such as OSF’s Advance Care Planning receive annual notice on National Healthcare Decisions Day, set this year for Friday, April 16. The day is set aside to educate adults on how to make, document and communicate their health care decisions to doctors and loved ones.

“Several special interest groups have come together to say this is important,” Kruse said, “and we clearly believe this at OSF. Everyone is different. Some will want everything done and others will want efforts stopped at a certain point. This is really to listen to what they want and to have that honored in this document.”

Jim Tooley said it was all about the ability to choose.

“The thing I like about this is that it states what I want, not what anybody else wants. If it isn’t going to do any good to put me on life support for another six months or a year or whatever, then just let me go in peace because I’m ready to go.”

Staff writer Mike DeDoncker can be reached at 815-987-1382 or mdedoncker@rrstar.com.

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